A Toast to RENT
by TardisBluePen
Summary: Just my goodbye to RENT after its 12 amazing years on Broadway! Please read and review, it makes me very happy! Complete for now. More chapters could possibly be added later....rated simply because it's RENT.


_I just thought I'd say a few interesting things before I got on with my goodbye!_

_A/N: So, every Thursday our Thespian Society (Drama Club) at school has a meeting. And at the end of every meeting, they do this thing called Thespian Talk, when they talk about movies or musicals and give a little background information on them (who the actors were, how long the musical was on Broadway, etc). Today (September 11, 2008), they talked about RENT, in honor of it going off of Broadway after an amazing 12 years! They played the RENT soundtrack from the minute the meeting started. I (along with many others) wouldn't stop singing it afterwards! It was awesome!_

_The Broadway version of RENT has been filmed and will soon be seen in theaters! W00tw00t! I'm going to see it as soon as it comes out! And then I'm gonna buy it on DVD! I can't wait!_

_The National RENT Tour will be coming next year! Everyone had better go see it! I sure am! As many times as I can! I definitely can't wait!_

_I owe parts of this to Glinda the Bestest, for inspiring me to write this after I read her personal goodbye to RENT. Much thanks to you, hon, for inspiring me! Trust me, I never copied yours, and if it seems like I did, I'm sorry. 'Twas you that inspired me, and I am giving you credit for this, and I never copied your story! Just thought I'd make that clear._

**Disclaimer**: Yes, my name is Jonathon Larson and I do own RENT. That's why it is still on Broadway, and I am not sitting in front of my laptop, writing this.

* * *

September 7, 2008:

On this day, many tears were shed.

On this day, many goodbyes were said.

We fell to our knees, tears fell from our eyes

RENTheads everywhere said their goodbyes.

I wish I could go back in time

And imagine that I was there in line

Seeing RENT on Broadway for the very first time.

12 years ago today, it became known to the world

And 12 years later, it fades from the stage.

It flowed from Jonathon Larson's mind

So brilliant a mind, so young an age

Though it is no longer seen under the glowing stage lights

I still remember the day I saw it for the very first time

I laughed, I gasped, I sang, I cried

When I first saw the legend with my own two eyes.

I saw it all one year ago

I am a Bohemian, just like them

I celebrate one year ago

I sing Viva La Vie Boheme!

For RENT is now a part of me

It fills me up with energy

It has set my young soul free.

Thank You RENT!

It owns my soul

It is my life

I am living with no regrets

For I am now living the Bohemian Life!

(Yeah, I know, this doesn't always rhyme, or make much sense, it's just what happened to come out when I sat down in front of this laptop.)

The very first time I heard Seasons of Love, I didn't even know what RENT was. Now, that very same song describes everything I love about RENT.

_525, 600 minutes_

_525,000 moments so dear._

_525,600 minutes_

_How do you measure, measure a year?_

It has barely been a year since I first fell in love with the musical, RENT. And since then, my life has been measured in love. Love for RENT. Measured in minutes. The many minutes I spend listening to all the amazing songs from RENT. The best minutes of my life. The moments that I will always hold dear.

I knew I would cry when RENT came to an end, and I have, indeed cried, just as much as any other RENTheads out there. I knew that RENT was a musical unlike any other, but I never knew just how inspirational it truly was. RENT has truly changed a generation.

I have read many of your goodbyes, and they only made me cry more tears. I'm sure RENTheads everywhere have felt sadness for the ending of RENT, but I hope many of you have also felt joy. For though this may RENT's last day on Broadway, it will always live on in our hearts.

Musicals come and musicals go, but RENT is one that will never, ever be forgotten. It has really changed me, and inspired me to live for no day but today.

I don't know how I could ever find the courage to say goodbye. But as I sit here, writing this, I know that I have to. So let's just face the facts.

RENT is gone from Broadway.

This is our last time to see it live on the Broadway stage.

The last time we will get to moo with Maureen.

The last time we will get to listen to Roger play Musetta's Waltz.

The last time we will get to listen to Mimi howl during Out Tonight.

The last time we will get to see Angel and Collins as Pussy Galore and James Bond.

The last time we will get to see Joanne juggle her three phones while singing We're Okay. (Glinda The Bestest, I'm sorry! I just love this line, and I love this song, and I hope it's okay if I use it!)

The last time we will get to see Benny give Mark and Roger their loft back.

The last time we will get to see Mark's documentary.

And…

The last time we will get to see all of our favorite Bohos dance on a table, while wildly declaring that Bohemia has made its comeback!

RENT has taught us all many things. But none quite as important as:

No day but today.

By writing RENT, I think that Jonathon Larson had hoped to send this message to all of us. And I hope that all RENTheads will always remember this.

After 12 amazing years on Broadway, I hope that the spirit of RENT will always live on.

I know that the spirit and memories of RENT will always be held dear, in the hearts and minds of RENTheads everywhere.

May RENT never die or be forgotten.

Where RENT used to be on Broadway, there is now a hole. One that can never be filled. The absence of RENT may have created that hole, but it has also filled up another. RENT has taken its place in my heart. And I'm sure it still lives on in the hearts of everyone who is reading this, who misses it just as much as I do.

So, whenever I feel sad that RENT is gone, I just remember this:

Although it may no longer be on the stage, it still remains as alive as ever in my heart.

RENT has become a part of my life.

If RENT has survived on Broadway for 12 years, it can surely carry on in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

RENT is not just a musical…it is a way of life.

Bohemia has come back! And it shall never die!

It is up to us, RENTheads. To make sure that we:

keep RENT alive, never stop quoting, never stop singing, never stop watching (the movie), never stop talking about it, never stop writing fan fictions and most of all, never stop believing in all the wonderful messages it has given us.

(This is a small passage from 'My Personal Goodbye' by Glinda the Bestest. I simply felt the need to put it in here because, honestly…I could not have said it better myself.)

RENT is a lifestyle. And it's up to us to make sure that it never dies!

So let us shout, jump, sing with all our might, dance on tables, swing around on the subways, and MOOOOO with Maureen!

And just imagine…

You are:

Dancing with Mimi

Smiling for the camera in Mark's documentary

Listening to Roger play you a song (that doesn't remind us of Musetta's Waltz)

Drinking Stoli with Collins

Drumming with Angel

Tango-ing with Joanne

Mooing with Maureen

And

Mooning Benny with Maureen

Could life be any better?

Could life be any more fun?

Is Bohemia really dead?

No.

VIVA LA VIE BOHEME!

We, RENTheads, are a family. It is up to us to be strong!

For Jonathon Larson.

For RENT.

_There's only us_

_There's only this_

_Forget regret_

_Or life is yours to miss_

_No other road_

_No other way_

_No day but today!_

Let us never forget this message. I'm sure it has changed many lives, including mine.

And now, a toast.

To RENT!

_I die without you!_

Thank you, Jonathon Larson!

I owe it all to you for making my life worth living! For making me realize that I should live life to the fullest…and enjoy every minute of it!

Thank you Anthony, Adam, Jesse, Wilson, Idina, and everyone else who made RENT come to life! Cast and crew, alike!

And a HUGE thank you to all the RENTheads who read this (and review), who share the love of RENT, and who are as glad to have it in their lives as I am!

LONG LIVE RENT!

VIVA LA VIE BOHEME!

NO DAY BUT TODAY!

May RENT live on forever! May it change our lives, inspire our minds, and spark our creativity! May it never be forgotten!

RENTheads unite!

* * *

Please review and make my day! Or feel free to PM me and talk about this more! To make sure that the spirit of RENT never ever dies! I'd love to talk to all of you some more! (If any of you actually read this...)


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